Betray Me Once
by Forgotten Lake
Summary: Kagome wanders into the forest on the night of the full moon. She walks into something that she shouldn't have, and for the rest, you shall have to discover yourself.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer**: Inuyasha is not owned by me. I have just temporarily requisitioned them. I'll give them back soon, really.

**Betray Me Once**

_Prologue_

_Fool me once, shame on you.  
Fool me twice, shame on me._

Betray me once, shame on both.  
Betray me twice, won't happen again.

Kagome hummed as she walked through the woods. Her bow and arrows were slung over her back, and she was searching for a particular herb that Keade told her to look for if she was ever in this area. Keade didn't have much hope that Kagome would find it, but she said just in case to go out when the moon was at its highest point in the night sky and if she saw it, she would recognize it. Keade hadn't even told her what its properties were, just to pick it if she saw it.

Inuyasha had not been very happy about her going by herself, but according to Keade it must be picked by a woman of power, alone. Kagome had tried to explain this to Inuyasha, but he didn't understand the difference. Of course, neither did Kagome, but she trusted Keade. If she said that this herb was important, then she believed her. If it wasn't for Keade, then she wouldn't know an eighth of what she now knew about herbs. Before she had fallen into the well, actually, she didn't' know anything. All she knew to do when in pain was to tell her mother, go to the drug store, or if she was badly injured, the hospital. Now, she actually discovered that she liked preparing herbs and healing with them. It gave her a sense of satisfaction that she couldn't explain, especially when she prepared everything herself. It was different than just using over the counter drugs.

She entered a clearing and stopped, barely keeping herself from screaming. Naraku was there, grinning, and beside him lay Kikyo, an arrow pierced through where her heart would be if she were still alive.

"Naraku, how could you!" Kagome screamed, and grabbed her bow and an arrow, aiming it as his heart.

"Now, now, the question is, how could you?" and he disappeared, but not before Kagome had sent an arrow after him. She stood there, panting, trying to catch her breath. She had to get back to Inuyasha and tell him what happened! But it was too late, he was already there.

"Kikyo," he whispered, and as if in a trance walked over to the dead animated figure. He knelt before her, and touched her cheek with the back of his hand. Then he froze. He sniffed deeply, and then turned around, his eyes wide with shock and anger.

"Kagome, how could you! Kikyo never did a single thing to you and you killed her! I never thought you would stoop so low!" he yelled. He had caught a scent as he neared her, and he had realized that it had been the scent of Kagome that was on the arrow piercing Kikyo's breast. When Inuyasha turned around and looked, that had been the final piece of evidence. Kagome's bow was still in her hands, as if she had just fired off an arrow. He was betrayed.

Kagome stepped back, stunned, the bow falling from her hands. She hadn't done that! Then she remembered Naraku's words, and she shuddered convulsively. He had done it to frame her.

"No, Inuyasha, it wasn't me! Believe me!" she cried. How could he think she could do such a thing? And Kikyo hadn't done a single thing to her! She had died twice, and Inuyasha still believed in Kikyo. Inuyasha shot her a fierce glare.

"It wasn't me!" he said in a high pitched voice that shook, "Honestly, you expect me to believe that! I can smell you all over the arrow, Kagome! I thought I could trust you, I really did. And, you betrayed that trust," he did his best to keep his voice steady and he said those final words, after which he strode past her, head held up high. Kagome caught his sleeve, trying to keep him there, trying to convince him that it wasn't true, but before she could say anything, Inuyasha just turned around and looked at her coldly.

"I guess you truly are Kikyo's reincarnation. At least when she betrayed me, it was because she had been tricked. You don't have that excuse," and Inuyasha pulled his sleeve out from her hand, pushed her onto the ground, and walked away.

"Inuyasha! Inuyasha!" she yelled, a pathetic whimper lacing her through her screams, "Inuyasha," she whispered. She got onto her knees and stared down at her hands.

"How could you believe I would do such a thing, Inuyasha? I, I, lov," and here she was interrupted. Naraku was back.

"Loved that pathetic hanyou? How sad. He apparently doesn't love you. If he wanted to, with only a moment's searching he could have found proof that it was not your fault. I didn't even have to cover my tracks; I knew all he needed was the scent of you on that arrow, and with my skills, that wasn't so difficult. Kikyo believed it was you too. She begged for her life from you, did you know that? How amusing it was to string that arrow, and kill her, accusing her of everything that she had indeed done to you. Poetic justice, I would say. You should thank me. But don't worry; Inuyasha might not hate you as much once you have died. He might even forgive you. But whether he forgives you or not, I will have tainted jewel shards. Now, to end a chapter of my life which has existed for far too long! Die, reincarnation of Kikyo!" he yelled.

Kagome, who had been frozen during his speech as it sunk in that she had been betrayed, scrambled away as a tentacle came flying for her. But she was only one young girl, and she didn't have a chance. The tentacle wrapped around her neck; Naraku dragged Kagome up into the air. He smirked as she hung in midair, choking, her hands scrambling to remove the pressure. Naraku, laughing, sent two smaller tentacles out and brought her hands away her neck. He watched for a moment, until her struggles had weakened. She simply hung there, staring at him, a dull hatred forming for him, and for the man she thought had trusted her. Naraku laughed, and let her fall to the ground.

"You know, why end it so quickly? What's left of my human heart is excited by your hatred, my dear. Keep hating me, girl. Let your heart be consumed with darkness!" Naraku laughed. Kagome just lay there, unable to say a word with the world blurring slightly. She was only half-way dead, though her vocal cords were damaged beyond repair. Naraku knelt before her, and ran a claw across her cheek, leaving a line of red in it wake. She shuddered weakly, but her powers were drained from trying to keep her alive and her physical strength was even lower.

She couldn't do a thing as Naraku undressed her. She couldn't do a thing as he ran his claws repeatedly over what seemed to be every inch of her body, tracing a delicate pattern of blood into her skin. She couldn't do a thing as he ate her lips, smirking gently down at her. She couldn't do a thing as he took small chunks from her body; from her neck, her shoulders, her breasts, her stomach, and many other places. She couldn't do a thing as he took her virginity, whispering words of hatred towards the world, himself, and her friends. He left her, bleeding to death, broken, and hopeless. He dispelled the barrier around the area that had been concealing sound and scent, chuckling. He loved torture, and he loved the beautifully black shards in his hand that he had just obtained. Most importantly, he loved the fact that he had just had ultimate revenge on Inuyasha, and now their group would be destroyed. They wouldn't be able to hold together, not after the girl was gone.

Kagome's sluggishly working brain was close to dead. Her life's blood and virgin's blood soaked the ground around her, some of it still in puddles because the ground could not soak anymore up. A ball of white light which had been watching the proceeding, vibrating in anger, dived down and was absorbed into Kagome's body. Her body weakly convulsed. Kagome's fog mind barely registered a voice.

"Kagome, you need to sit up," the voice said gently.

"Can't," came the extremely weak and broken reply.

"Just, just lean over and reach for that plant besides you," the voice sounded desperate now.

"Just want to sleep," the words came out sluggishly.

"You can. Right after you grab that plant and do what I tell you to," the voice said, panicking.

"All right," was the reply, Kagome's mind accepting that she couldn't get the sleep she wanted until she did what the voice told her too.

Kagome's eyes registered a plant glowing brightly in the light of the full moon. "I found the plant, Keade," Kagome whispered. Her mind was breaking, and this inconsequential fact seemed to be rather important to her mind at this moment.

"Yes, now, put at least one of the petals in your mouth," the voice demanded.

Kagome's arm moved, still bleeding, but now sluggishly. Kagome was in so much pain that the extra pain didn't really register with her. Luckily, the plant was practically at her face, so all she had to do was lightly touch the stem and the flower accommodatingly moved into her mouth. As soon as it touched her tongue, Kagome froze, and her body melted away into nothingness.

A few minutes later, Inuyasha ran back into the clearing, his reflexes of protecting Kagome now a habit. He fell to his knees at the overpowering scent of Kagome's blood, which was too strong for his defenses. He stood up, and weakly staggered over to where an odd patch of blood was. Inuyasha had to keep himself from throwing up, and his mind which had begun to process what had happened, gave a twinge. He lightly touched the wet spot, and restrained himself again from being sick when he realized that there was more blood than dirt in the mix. As quickly as he could manage, Inuyasha got out of the clearing. He stood there for a moment, trying to catch his breathe, but while slightly improved by distance, still wanted to gag. Suddenly, a glint caught his eyes. He walked over, and there were all of Kagome's arrows, except for one.

His eyes narrowed. So she did kill Kikyo. Of course, he still had a hard time feeling terribly angry, since he could tell that Kagome was dead. He felt pain at the thought, but brushed it away. It was her fault. He circled around the clearing and knelt by the tree Kikyo had been against. Now there was only a pile of clay with an arrow lying on top. He picked the arrow up, cradling it gently and trying to avoid looking back at the rather large mud puddle. In his efforts, he caught another glint. He walked over. It was another arrow, also with Kagome's scent. He fell to his knees. He knew how many arrows Kagome kept with her. It helped to know during a battle, so he could make sure Kagome wouldn't be left defenseless when she ran out of arrows. She always kept the same amount, twenty-six. He stood up, and compared the two arrows. There was a difference, now that he actually looked at it. Kagome's arrow heads came from her era. The one that had pierced Kikyo had come from his. It had been another trap.

Inuyasha stared at the arrow, unbelieving. He had sentenced Kagome to death just because he couldn't believe in her and take a second, just a second, to inspect the arrow. He should have known to check the arrow. Who did this? He tried to catch a scent, but the smell of Kagome's blood was overpowering it. Inuyasha walked away a little, trying to get far enough away so that he could catch Kagome's murderer and maybe recover her body. Her family deserved at least that much.

Inuyasha was pushing away his feelings at the moment. It was his defense mechanism; ignore the feelings, that way he couldn't be affected. After moving about fourteen feet away, he smelt it. "It" was Naraku's scent. Inuyasha froze, his emotions broke free from the cage he had built around them, and he sank to his knees, howling at the unjustly bright moon above.

At that moment…

Sesshoumaru paused. From a long distance away came the sound of a dog demon mourning. He recognized that voice. Inuyasha. What had happened to his brother? He turned slightly, changing his course. Jaken knew better than to say anything, and Rin just assumed that it was some dog howling at the moon.

At that moment…

Sango rolled over in her sleep, her face sweating. She bolted upright, a horrible feeling overwhelming her. She gasped for air, trying to recover from the nightmare that she could not know remember. The feeling of terror and suffering did not go away though. She looked for the others, but there was only Miroku. He too suddenly sat upright, trembling.

"Something is wrong, something is very wrong," he said, his voice shaking as much or more than his body. He stared at Sango.

"They're not back yet," Sango muttered, horrified.

Just then, a howl of immense pain shook the particles of air around them. Kirara suddenly transformed into her larger shape, making mewling sounds of worry. Miroku and Sango leapt up as well as a newly awakened Shippou, and Kirara took them toward the source of the sound.

At that moment…

Keade looked up from the arrow she was working on. She wasn't often able to get as much sleep as she used to, finding her self tossing and turning instead of resting. She sensed something.

"There is an evil air about tonight," Keade muttered, her eyes narrowed in concentration and worry.

End of Prologue

Love to hear from people.


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I do not currently own Inuyasha. Anyone want to join me in gathering a group and storming Rumiko Takahashi's house?

**Betray Me Once**

_Chapter One_

Shippou leaned against a tree, plucking pine needles from a fallen branch to keep his fingers occupied. Anything to keep him from having to go back to the hut. Everything was wrong since Kagome had…Shippou tore another pine needle from the branch savagely. Why did it have to be Kagome? Those first few weeks after his parents had killed had been horrible. The only thing that had kept him from giving up was the hope that he could avenge his parents, which he knew had been foolish, but there wasn't anything else he could think about. Then, he had found a chance to steal a jewel shard from a human woman, and he had taken it. Instead of punishing him for it, or killing him for it, the human woman, Kagome, had defended him against her companion. She had then gone on to protect him from the Thunder Brothers, him, a useless little fox kit that had tried to steal the shards from her. From then on, Shippou knew he was safe with this strange group, and especially Kagome. He knew Inuyasha cared for him in a vague sort of way, after all, that's what pack members did, but Kagome didn't care about him because of some demon instinct, she just cared about him. She loved him. Kagome had become his new world. She brought him toys, feed him new and tasty food, played with him, protected him, did everything! And he had done his best to protect, love, and comfort her in return.

One time! He had trusted Inuyasha one time to watch her while she was looking for something for Keade, and the stupid mutt had been fooled by Naraku and Kagome had been killed! Naraku didn't even leave her body for a proper burial!

Shippou felt tears starting to spring up in his eyes again, and he hastily scrubbed his arm across his face. He glared angrily down the hill at the hut where he knew Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango were most likely once more discussing strategy. After some yelling and a lot of anger and tears, the others had forgiven Inuyasha. After all, as Miroku and Sango had tried to explain to Shippou, it was understandable. Naraku was adept at tricking people. It was understandable, though a sad fact, that Inuyasha had been manipulated again. It had been months now since Kagome's death now, however, and Shippou was still furious with Inuyasha. He had been tricked by Naraku before, Kagome had even been controlled a couple of times, and yet he had accepted the situation at face value! Didn't even try to see if something was wrong!

He could see Kirara coming up the hill, her tails twitching above the grass the only indication of her presence. His tail twitched angrily in response. Sango had probably sent her out looking for him. Everyone was coddling him ever since Kagome died. Well, Miroku and Sango were. Inuyasha wasn't much for talking nowadays. He was really into killing Naraku, and that was about all he thought about. Shippou gave him that much. He still didn't forgive him though. And Inuyasha had yet to even look him in the eye once since everything had happened.

The rest of Kirara popped out of the grass in front of him. "I don't want to go back right now," Shippou told her. Kirara mewed, and simply curled up in a good spot of sun. Shippou watched her for a moment cautiously, to make sure she wasn't going to transform and carry him back to the hut like a little disobedient kit. She had done that before, and Shippou never wanted that to happen again.

Kirara, however, seemed intent on thoroughly enjoying her cat nap, so Shippou relaxed. Sadly, not for long. He had just closed his eyes and Sango was there, scooping Kirara up and grabbing his hand and tugging him along behind her.

"Jewel shard rumor," she said tersely as she hurried back down towards the hut. Shippou shut up before he even had a chance to protest. The main reason he had stayed with the group had been because he wanted to see Naraku's destruction, and help as much as he could. He might have not been able to help defeat the Thunder Brothers, but he was older and stronger now, and he could help the other's defeat Naraku.

"How far away?" Shippou asked. He would have jumped onto her shoulder, but he had grown slightly over the months, and couldn't quite fit anymore.

"Just a few villages over. Myouga brought the information, we have to hurry," Sango told him, "You know how we keep missing getting the jewel shard because of some person in grey? Supposedly he's going that way too. Inuyasha refuses to let that person get another jewel shard, especially because that person is probably working for Naraku."

Shippou nodded. "Are we riding Kirara?"

Sango sighed. "It would be easier if you would ride with Inuyasha, you know? He doesn't show it, but I think it really doesn't help that you won't forgive him."

Though Sango couldn't see it, Shippou snarled. "I don't want to talk about it."

Sango sighed. "I really miss Kagome too, Shippou, but you can't blame him for it forever."

"Wanna bet?" Shippou asked, purposely using a modern expression that Sango would recognize. Sango bit her lip to keep from saying anything else.

Outside Keade's hut, Shippou saw Miroku and Inuyasha standing outside, Inuyasha's foot tapping slightly.

Inuyasha might have complained about taking time out to get the runt, but he never said anything to or about Shippou anymore. He barely even deigned to notice his presence. Instead he said, "Finally, let's get going already! If we don't get there first this time and all we see is that grey creep making off with the jewel, we won't be coming back here until we destroy him!"

Kirara jumped out of Sango's hands, transforming midair, and Shippou, Sango, and Miroku quickly mounted in that order. It only took about an hour to get to the village, and instead of stopping in the village, they headed straight for where they heard the fighting. It was a snake demon, which was probably what was delaying the grey warrior. However, just before they could clearly see what happened, the snake demon disappeared, and the figure, swathed in grey without a single spot of flesh to be seen, snatched the falling jewel shard out of the air. On the ground now, Shippou snuck closer to the grey warrior. Suddenly, a fire cat jumped out of the bushes just as Inuyasha ran to intercept the warrior. Shippou hurried, not worrying as much about sound as Inuyasha distracted the person, and transformed into his smallest transformation, a flea. He climbed onto the fire cat as the person jumped on, and held on tightly as the fire cat leapt into the air. He knew the others would be worried, but he could now hold his transformations for much longer and better, and would be able to find out who the person was, and possibly even Naraku's hide out.

He didn't know how long the fire cat remained airborne, but he did know it was night when he landed. He heard the rider dismount and speak to his cat. "Thanks, Yukio, that was close that time. That stupid snake demon was annoying." Shippou shivered. He heard things differently in this form, but he could still tell that the voice was as harsh as a storm wind's roar.

He jumped off, not seeing the fire cat growl lowly and but against the figure. He was, however, able to jump into the bushes and change into a rabbit, something that could see and hear better then a flea, at least for his purposes. He watched through the leaves as the figure stretched slightly and put down a bow and arrows. He observed her rather efficient laying out of her camp, gathering wood and letting her fire cat start the fire before transforming into its smaller form and curling up by it. She rummaged in her pack, pulling out some bits of food. Shippou could feel his stomach rumble at the thought. His eyes opened wide as he watched the hands start to unwind the fabric from not his, but her head. But that wasn't the thing that caught his attention.

He quickly knew why she kept her face covered. Scars covered it in a thick web, thin lines tracing a macabre pattern across her face and down to apparently below the line of her clothing. Shippou wasn't sure what would be worse, her willing sitting through someone doing that or being forced to have that done to her body. She had pretty blue eyes though, like Kagome. Shippou felt a small twinge of pain in his heart. The figure looked up from taking a small bit.

"Is someone out there?" the woman asked, and even though her voice was so harsh, Shippou was sure he could detect a hint of nervousness. Shippou decided, on a crazy whim, to take a chance. He poked his head through the bushes, blinking innocently. The woman smiled, relieved. "Oh, hello! You're a cutie!"

Shippou twitched his nose. The woman chuckled, and slowly grabbed her sack and rummaged through it, talking quietly the whole time.

"I have a carrot here somewhere, the villagers are always grateful when I help save their village from a marauding demon. If they have extra, I allow it, but I make sure to refuse if they don't have enough. I can always forage, but it is much harder to feed a family and I don't want to make it more difficult. Anyways, ah, here it is!" the woman exclaimed triumphantly. She slowly took it from the sack, continuing to try and not frighten him, and getting on her hands and knees, she slowly crept towards him, holding the carrot in front of her. "Are you hungry? I think you're hungry, I can tell it from where I was. That's what startled me. Now be a good little demon rabbit, and not like the one in that silly English film Monty Python and the Holy Grail." She stopped about a yard from him and got on her belly, holding the carrot out in front of her. Shippou, whose rabbit nose was continuously twitching as he laughed inside, crept towards her. He was hungry, and while raw carrot wasn't his favorite thing, meat wasn't really good for this body, and he needed energy to maintain his illusion.

He started nibbling on the carrot, keeping his eyes on her the entire time. The woman's smile brightened, and he almost felt like smiling back at her. This was obviously not one of Naraku's minions. After all, would one of Naraku's minions feed a rabbit of all things? He decided he'd stick around for awhile, and see what the woman was like and what she knew. Maybe she could join the group, and they would be even more likely to kill Naraku. If she was able to keep getting the jewel shards before him and the others, then she must be good.

He finished the carrot and yawned, then flicked an ear. The woman laughed, a harsh sound, but he was beginning to get used to her voice and face. She slowly came forward, and he held as still as he could. She picked him up and cuddled him. "You're a real sweetie, you know that? I bet you used to be someone's pet and escaped. Either that or you're a really smart demon bunny. Maybe, if you seem safe enough, I know a little girl who might be interested in you as a pet. I can't keep you forever, you see. I travel a lot, and Naraku and a lot of other demons are after me. But you'd be safe with the girl, as long as she protects you from Jaken. Jaken would probably want you as dinner, not a pet."

Shippou blinked, surprised. Jaken? A little girl? Then he shook his head slightly. Surely not. Besides, by the time she decided to take him to whoever it was, he would have either revealed his presence or left.

That night he slept quite warmly, snuggled up to the woman under several blankets along with the woman's fire cat, who was apparently named Yukio. He was secretly grateful for all the practice he got avoiding the others in the forest by disguising himself as forest creatures. He was still tired from holding this form, but he knew he'd be able to keep it while he slept, and hopefully he could get more food the next morning from the woman. He gratefully fell asleep, snoring light rabbit snores.

The next morning he was awakened bright and early. His little rabbit stomach rumbled, and he watched eagerly as she rummaged around in her bag. All she came up with, however, was a few leaves left over from some cabbage.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized, "I'll stop by a village sometime today and lay in a new stock of vegetables, at least enough for the next few days."

Shippou was really grateful. He hated cabbage. He was allowed to go on a small walk to take care of necessities, and then he returned. She set him on top of her clothing in the sack with only his head poking out, and was able to watch over her shoulder as she mounted Yukio.

"Let's head that way, Yukio! If I remember correctly, there was a prosperous village in that direction!" she said. By now, she had covered her head again, of course, and Shippou was hoping he might learn more of this woman in town, including, hopefully, her name.

He wasn't disappointed. She was greatly enthusiastically in the village by cries of, "Lady Maro, Lady Maro! You've come back!"

"Hello," Lady Maro replied.

"Lady Maro, there isn't any trouble, is there?" a man questioned.

"No, no, today's market day, is it not? I just want to trade for a few necessities," Lady Maro said.

"Lady Maro!" an older lady scolded, "How many times have you saved this village? We don't mind sparing you a few things, especially when you ask for so little."

Lady Maro sighed. "Really, I don't need that much. It's only me, my fire cat, and now this little fellow," she reached over her shoulder and scratched Shippou head a little, a rather delightful feeling, embarrassingly enough, "and everyone insists on giving me things. With everything I get, it's surprising me and Yukio are not as fat as cows!"

Shippou continued to watch as someone who would normally be considered a suspicious figure was accepted with ease, gratitude, and excitement. She tried to bargain with the shopkeepers to trade in a few well cured deer skins and a few other things, but instead she was offered money, and the food and a few other things were thrown in extra. The children weren't afraid of her either, and came up to her wanting to pet him and Yukio. Shippou put up with it with tolerance, remembering how he used to tug on fur and ears until Kagome had taught him how to properly handle animals. Luckily, Lady Maro did the same thing, and all the children listened carefully and obediently.

When Lady Maro left, everyone yelled or waved goodbye, wishing her a good journey. If Shippou had needed any more proof of this woman's good nature to animals, humans, and demons alike, he had it.

That night as he gratefully nibbled on a carrot, he almost leapt three feet in the air when Kagura landed in front of Lady Maro.

"Lady," Kagura bowed, surprising Shippou, "I bring you news. Naraku grows angrier by the day because of your actions and his inability to spy anymore. He's having to trust me more since Kanna was taken. I can never express my gratitude for what you have done for me," Kagura bowed again.

Lady Maro, who had grinned savagely upon hearing about Naraku's anger, turned a slight pink as Kagura bowed again. "That really isn't necessary. I just wish he hadn't found such a good place to hide. It's incredibly difficult to get close to him. I wish I could draw him out somehow."

"Yes, it is necessary," Kagura informed her, "And for everything you have done, it is only proper to show respect. I just wish I could help more."

"Nonsense!" Lady Maro replied, "I haven't even done that much to help you. I wish there was some way I could give you back your heart more quickly. Maybe after Kanna gets on her feet, she could sneak in and obtain it. Her presence wouldn't alert the wards."

"Until Naraku is destroyed in front of me, there isn't any other place I'd rather be. The day I see him destroyed into the smallest bits of dust imaginable will be the happiest in my life," Kagura fervently declared.

"I know the feeling," Lady Maro said just as fervently.

"Why haven't you gone back?" Kagura questioned after a moment, "It's not like Naraku doesn't know who you are. You aren't protecting them by not returning, Kagome."

Shippou froze. Lady Maro, or was it Kagome, sighed. "I, I just can't face them. It was so hard, even after returning from that place, to get back on my feet. I can't return to them. They'd be horrified. I couldn't bear to see the looks on their faces when they realize what exactly happened to me. They're better off without me anyways. They are staying away from danger, and Naraku has no real incentive to go after them right now."

Kagura snorted. "No real incentive? You know the moment he snatched one of them up, the fox kit for instance, you would willing walk right into his trap with open eyes."

Kagome sighed. "I just, it's been so," Kagome trailed off, then looked Kagura straight into her eyes. "You know what happened to me, Kagura. I'm barely holding it together as it is. I'm not sure what would happen if I went back."

Kagura sighed as well. "I know, Kagome. Naraku truly is a monster. It's a miracle you survived at all."

"It's only thanks to Kikyou's soul that I did," Kagome admitted, "that and luck. When she first returned to me, she didn't join immediately, and that flower was blooming."

"I hate to ask this," Kagura said, "but what exactly did happen? You need to talk about it sometime."

Kagome opened her mouth, and then closed it and her eyes. Her face twisted in pain, and she suddenly started rocking back and forth, drawing her knees up to her chin as tears started falling down her face. Kagura rushed over, awkwardly hugging her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, it's okay, relax, it's okay. We're going to purify his ass, remember? For taking everything away from us? Please, please Kagome!" Kagura was starting to cry lightly herself now, "Please?" Kagome slightly uncurled, then flung herself onto Kagura, sobbing. Kagura rocked her slightly, rubbing her hair and crooning. A small wind started blowing, and Kagura thanked it silently as it cooled Kagome's almost feverish skin. Shippou continued to watch in disbelief, limp and trembling, his entire body tense.

Finally Kagome stopped crying. "I'm sorry," she managed, "it's just sometimes, when I remember, it's like I'm there again and I can't do anything. I'm not sure what's going to happen at the final battle. I'm so afraid I'll fall apart if he does anything like he did back then."

"Don't worry," Kagura said confidently, "You're a true miko now. You'll make it. You have me, and Kanna, and everyone else that is willing to help. Even that stupid idiot of a wolf."

Kagome managed to laugh slightly. "I'm so glad he doesn't know yet."

"Me too. It's not my fault his wolf friends attacked me! What was I supposed to do, just run away or let them kill me? They were weak!" Kagura protested.

Kagome smiled slightly. "I didn't mean that and you know it. But thank you, really."

"Thank you, Lady Kagome," Kagura said, smiling in relief now that her friend was mostly back to normal.

"I hate that name," Kagome protested, "It's bad enough all of those villagers insist on calling me Lady Maro and keep giving me things. I just helped keep some demons from attacking them a few times!"

Kagura just shook her head. "You might not realize your worth right now, Lady Kagome," she said, "but others do, and you cannot fault us for reminding you."

Kagome sighed. "You better go back now. How is Kohaku, before you go, though?"

"He's all right. I think he's regained his memories, though I am not sure," Kagura said, "he's being sneaky about it."

"I hope there's some way to save him. I'd hate to have a kid that's been through so much die, especially since it would devastate Sango," Kagome said.

"Me too," Kagura replied, "He's not bad, for a kid."

"Anyways, again, you better know. Just because Naraku trusts you now, it doesn't mean that state will continue," Kagome commanded.

"No kidding," Kagura said, and, pulling out her feather, she disappeared into the sky.

Kagome watched her go, until suddenly she felt a much stronger demonic aura at her back then her recently acquired pet had, and she turned around, hands automatically going to her bow and arrows. Her heart almost stopped when she saw Shippou standing there, a few inches taller, with big watery eyes staring at her. "Kagome?" his plaintive voice asked, "Is it really you?"

**End Chapter One**

Okay, the reason for the abnormally long wait between chapters: first no one reviewed, and I had other stories to work on and post, so I actually forgot about this story. The first big reason for this being updated is because ancient relic unearthed this story from somewhere, and reviewed it and reminded me this story existed. Then I had NaNo, and I needed to update my other stories, and I wasn't quite sure where I wanted to go with this next, so it took awhile for me to type this up. Once I actually figured out what I wanted to do with this, it didn't take me any time at all to get it typed up. I actually whipped this up yesterday, but was too tired by the end of writing it to post.

Anyways, I have remembered this story, and now that I've started posting again, I will definitely post more regularly. Just keep reminding me this story exists, and I'll do my best!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: I wish, I don't, so leave me alone. Inuyasha isn't mine! . 

Chapter Two

Kagome stared at Shippou, mouth hanging open behind the cloth. "Shippou?" Kagome asked, voice wavering slightly. The next thing she knew, she had a wailing fox kit in her arms that in-between wails would say incomprehensible things. She didn't even try to listen to what he was saying, too busy crying herself.

After a little while, when the crying had died down some, Kagome had hugged Shippou a little tighter, and then let him go, standing him on his feet. His face was red, and he was taller. Kagome resisted the urge the cry again. "You were the rabbit?" she asked finally.

Shippou nodded, his eyes glued to hers, which was all that could be seen of her face. The cloth covering it was soaked, but she made no move to take it off. "I decided to find out who you were," Shippou explained, his voice cracking slightly, "Why didn't you come back? I don't care what happened to you and we aren't better off without you and I've missed you so much!" Shippou ignored the tears still falling from his face and continued to stare into her eyes, hoping to convince her that every word he said was true.

Kagome winced slightly, but said, "No one in that group since I have gotten back has been severally injured once now that I've left. And you all seemed happy enough."

"They might act like that, but they're not!" Shippou said fiercely, "Sango's face is always red when she comes back from the hot springs, and Miroku mediates more often, and he doesn't smile as much."

Kagome was grateful he didn't mention Inuyasha. She wasn't quite ready for that yet. "I'm sorry, Shippou," was all she could say.

Shippou finally took a moment to scrub his face dry with his sleeve. "I'm staying with you," Shippou declared after he was done. He knew what had happened to Kagome now, at least a little, and he also knew that she would continue to do stupid stuff like stay away from everyone if he wasn't there to remind her that people didn't care if they were in danger around her, at least her true friends. He might be young, but he had lived through a lot, and he knew how Kagome thought. He wasn't going to let it happen again. He wasn't going to leave her alone again either. He didn't care if he died, he just didn't want to loose her.

"Shippou," Kagome said, but she didn't say anything else. Maybe she heard his determination, maybe some part of her didn't want to let him go, but either way she wasn't going to argue with him. Her face starting feeling cold as the night wind blew, and her hands automatically went up to start unwinding the cloth. She froze, however, as she looked at Shippou again.

Guessing what she was thinking, he bit his lip slightly, remembering how she looked from last night, so different then she used to be, different enough that he hadn't connected the face to hers. "It's okay, I've already seen it as the rabbit," Shippou said, "You shouldn't have to cover it up anyways."

Kagome's hand slowly unraveled the cloth then. Without looking at Shippou, she went over to her bag and got out a spare bit of cloth and dried her face off. She stood up, and couldn't make herself turn around. She didn't want to be seen like this by her friends. She didn't. She felt something then; Shippou was hugging her, his face buried into her stomach.

"I wish I had been there," Shippou said fiercely, "I should have been there; I should have helped!"

Kagome's bottom lip trembled slightly, and she fell down to her knees and hugged him. "You couldn't have done anything, and you might have been killed if you had been there," she said reassuringly, "I'm glad you weren't there, because now you are alive and well."

Shippou's stomach growled then and Kagome choked out some laughter. "I guess the cabbage leaves and carrot wasn't exactly to your taste, then," she said.

"Not really," he admitted, "But I had to eat to keep up my energy, and I couldn't eat meat as a rabbit."

"You really have gotten bigger and stronger," Kagome said as she rummaged in her sack once more.

"It's my first growth spurt," Shippou said, "Foxes have three. They grow normally from baby to about the size of a human three year old, and then they stay like that until they have developed their fox magic as much as possible at that age. Then they have a growth spurt until they are about the size of a human ten-year-old, develop their magic more until they can't do anything else, and the same to become a human teenager, and then an adult."

"Huh," Kagome said thoughtfully as she handed him some jerky, "That should tide you over until I make dinner, okay?"

Shippou nodded quickly, and starting eating the jerky as she used a small hand knife to chop up vegetables and some meat she had gotten in the village today into a pot. She poured some water in. After that, she took out two sticks that had y-forks at the end, stuck them on either side of the fire far enough away so that they wouldn't burn, and then hung the pot over the fire on a stick that rested on the other two sticks.

She sat down besides Shippou after that, and he snuggled closer. "So, what how much has your magic improved?" Kagome asked, curious.

"Well," Shippou said thoughtfully, "After everything," and here he paused, gulping a little, "I hid out in the forest a lot. They'd always find me pretty easily though, because I never could get my tail to go away when I transformed into a forest animal like a rabbit, or it would end too quickly. I started working really hard at it, though, and so I got to the point where I couldn't do anything better, and one night in the forest, I woke up, and I was like this! After that, it was a lot easier to transform, and I started looking more and more realistic. My other magic though, like illusions and things, won't improve that much until I have grown again. I guess it's like this because for younger kitsune, it's better to be able to hide then be able to fight. And I've been working really hard at everything, 'cause I want to help out everyone! I'm tired of not being able to fight very hard!"

Kagome hugged him a little. "You're getting so big so quickly! You keep getting that big, and the next thing I know you'll be taller then me!"

"Probably," Shippou said, with no hint of apology in his voice, "And then I can help."

Kagome felt her heart twinge a little in pain, but she ignored that. "How long where you three?" Kagome asked.

"Well, as I said, I grew up normally until I reached three. After that, I was about that old for maybe eight years, I can't remember," Shippou said.

"Isn't it weird, going from one age to another?" Kagome asked.

"Not really. When you think about it, I was already about eleven years old in human years. Our minds grow more quickly then our bodies anyways. This method came about because for kitsune, it is illegal to attack children until they look like teenagers. This gives them time to learn how to fight before they are actually challenged. It's complicated," Shippou said, sighing in frustration.

Kagome just smiled, and hugged him a little tighter to herself. "It's okay," she said, "I," suddenly, a mewing came from the edge of a clearing. "Yukio!" Kagome said, feeling stupid, "I haven't formally introduced you two. The last time she was here, you were food, at least as long I wasn't around."

"I wouldn't have let her eat me!" Shippou protested, "I'd turn into a big cat or a dog or a bird or something, but I wouldn't let her eat me!"

"I know, but he didn't. Come on, Yukio, this is Shippou. He's going to be with us for awhile, apparently," Kagome said.

Yukio came over, sniffing at Shippou wearily. "Where'd you get him from?" Shippou asked.

"There was this village that had a pregnant fire cat. A rat demon, evil little devil, had being convincing the villagers in human form that the fire cat was evil so he'd be able to eat the villagers without trouble. They drove her out, and that's about when I came in. The rat demon was after her kittens, which she had had to have all alone, and I came across them. I killed the rat demon, and took the fire cat back to the village and scolded all of them. She was a bit wounded, and I stayed with her for awhile and helped her and her little human friend take care of the kittens. When I left, one of them followed me. I took him back, and he followed me again. I finally gave up and named him Yukio since he was so stubborn. When he was old enough to transform, he started helping me out, but that's only been within the last few weeks, and I try not to let him carry too much," Kagome looked down at herself ruefully, "I'm pretty skinny, so that helps."

Shippou scowled at that, and swore that he'd fix that. He'd noticed that himself, and thought it was rather bad. She was too skinny, for his liking. She had him, though, and he'd take care of her the best he could.

Soon the stew was done, and Kagome gave Shippou and Yukio each a bowl, while she used a cup, since she only carried enough things to serve herself and her cat. She ate slowly, but Shippou watched her, and offered her another serving after she was finished with the first one, and after that one she set the cup down, finished.

At least, she thought so. Shippou refilled the cup, and held it out to her, waiting for her to take it. Kagome's eyebrow rose slightly.

"Is this you trying to be subtle?" Kagome asked.

"Not really," Shippou admitted.

"I'm not really that hungry," Kagome said reluctantly.

"But you're too skinny!" Shippou protested, "Please, Kagome?"

Kagome relented and finished her third serving of soup, though she ate it very slowly and didn't put it down afterwards. Shippou came over and sat in her lap, leaning against her.

"Can we just sit here like this for awhile?" Shippou asked his voice hopeful.

Kagome smiled slightly. "I'd like that." And that's exactly what they did. They stared at the fire quietly, listening to the noises of the night. Yukio changed into his larger form and let Kagome lean on him, making sure his tails covered both of them. And that was how Inuyasha, Miroku, and Sango found them the next morning.

Inuyasha sniffed the air, ears twitching in the breeze. "Can you still smell Shippou?" Sango asked her face worried.

"Yes," Inuyasha said, "And that damn woman and her fire cat. When I find her, I'm going to rip her into shreds."

Miroku sighed. He constantly had to be the mediator ever since Kagome… "Inuyasha, let's see what the situation is first. She hasn't done anything to us yet."

"She kidnapped Shippou," Inuyasha stated, his face hard. He wasn't going to let anything happen to that kit. He reminded Inuyasha so much of himself, and he once again felt the wave of guilt. Kagome and he had been so close, and now she was dead because of him. Miroku and Sango tried to make it seem like it wasn't, but he and Shippou knew the truth.

"How close are they?" Sango asked.

"Really close," Inuyasha said, "Be quiet, we need to sneak up on her."

Sango and Miroku nodded as Inuyasha leapt into the trees, and they followed the red through the forest, going slowly and taking the time to go from tree to tree and walking as quietly as possible. At the edge of the clearing they stopped, unable to say or do anything.

Shippou had been very remote over the past months. Here he was, however, looking more peaceful and contented then they had seen in a long time. It was hard to see from this distance, but on the opposite side of a burned down fire lay a fire cat, with the woman leaning against it, and Shippou curled up into her lap as much as possible, hugging the woman even in sleep. The fire cat's tails covered the two's laps, and its cold green eyes stared at them sternly, teeth slightly showing in warning.

Inuyasha jumped down, landing between the two of them with a light thump. "What now?" he asked in bewilderment.

"I guess we wait for them to wake up," Miroku said doubtfully.

"I haven't seen him so content since," Sango paused, swallowed, then said, "Kagome died."

"He's only been with her for what, two nights and a day? How did they get together so quickly?" Inuyasha asked. It seemed more then a bit suspicious, though he was loath to awaken Shippou even if the sleep he had was influenced magically by that woman. He'd been having nightmares for months. Sango and Miroku hadn't known what awaited them, but Shippou, who had been riding on Sango's shoulder, had picked up the scent of Kagome's blood quickly and had raced to the scene. Inuyasha could still remember his face as he started digging through the wet soil, trying to find some sign of Kagome. Tears had mixed into the blood drenched soil as Sango and Miroku had struggled to pull Shippou away. He'd gone missing for three days after that, and when he returned, he constantly either glared or ignored Inuyasha. Of course, at the time, Inuyasha wasn't around that often anyways, and Sango and Miroku had been busy trying to help themselves and everyone else through it.

Inuyasha's ears caught the sound of movement, and his eyes clamped onto the woman's figure. She yawned, though it was hard to see her from this distance then looked down at Shippou's figure. She reached her hand towards him, hesitating slightly before beginning to stroke his hair.

She said something then, but it was too low for Inuyasha to make out the syllables. Shippou, never a kit to wake up quickly, was a bit slow realizing where he was, but Inuyasha could easily tell when his brain started to work again. He jumped up and hugged the figure tightly, saying something to her. She smiled down at him, and was about to say something back when she tensed. Inuyasha pulled back a little further into the forest, worried that she had sensed him.

The woman said something to Shippou, and then released him, standing up and quickly walking over to her bag. When she stood back up, her face was once again covered. The fire cat transformed and hopped onto the woman's shoulder as she turned around. Shippou walked over to her and held her hand, whispering something under his breath. The woman paused for a second before replying, and Inuyasha could almost see the sense of relief in Shippou's figure. He squeezed the woman's hand and then let go, running towards them quickly. He skidded to a stop in front of them.

"Come on, guys, Lady Maro's promised to make everyone breakfast!" Shippou said, smiling up at them. He couldn't find it in his heart to hate even Inuyasha anymore. He was still more then a little angry at him, and would never entrust Kagome alone to him again, but he couldn't hate him. And now it seemed that he'd have Kagome traveling with everyone again, even if everyone else didn't know it.

"Shippou," Miroku said kneeling down in front of him, "How do we know that this Lady Maro isn't controlling you or influencing you in some way?"

"She's a miko, and she's really nice, and I've seen how normal people act around her," Shippou said, his tail bristling slightly in anger.

Miroku looked over at his shoulder to Sango and Inuyasha, the latter of which shrugged.

"Good! I'm hungry!" Shippou said brightly, "Come on!"

He bounced off, still excited. Miroku watched him with calculating eyes. Even if the woman wasn't controlling him, why would Shippou have changed so drastically? It didn't make sense.

"Hello," the woman's gravelly voice said. Miroku winced slightly. That voice was unnatural, especially for a human. Something must have happened to her voice, and it must have been painful.

"Lady Maro, this is Sango, Miroku, and Inuyasha," Shippou said. Miroku heard the harshness in his voice when he mentioned Inuyasha and sighed. What happened to Kagome had been miserable, but Inuyasha was tricked, and it wasn't completely his fault. Miroku still harbored a bit of a grudge towards him, but even Miroku had to admit that with Naraku pulling the strings, there wasn't much that Inuyasha could have done.

"I have some fruit, if you are interested," Lady Maro said. Miroku took a minute to look at her figure. He wished the clothes didn't cover so much. They only showed that she had what seemed to be a nice figure, and that was it.

Inuyasha crossed his arms. "All right, Shippou might buy your act, but I don't. What's going on? If you're working for Naraku I'll gut you here and now."

Miroku, who was watching Lady Maro closely, noticed her stiffen slightly. "Shippou came to make sure I wasn't working with Naraku. I didn't even know he was there until later. And he's happy because he knew me before everything happened."

Inuyasha replied, "If that was the case, he would have recognized you."

"I didn't always go around like this. I was normal once," the woman said. Miroku could hear the bitterness and regret in her voice.

Shippou calmly walked over and kicked Inuyasha. "Leave her alone."

Miroku raised an eyebrow. "Forgive Inuyasha, my dear lady. He's just worried about Shippou. May I ask why you didn't contact us when you recognized Shippou?"

Sadly, Miroku couldn't see her face to see her reaction. "Most of the time I was already leaving when you arrived, and so didn't see him," she said after a moment of silence.

"And we're supposed to trust you just like that?" Inuyasha said.

"If you wish, you may leave now and take Shippou with you. He's safer with you anyways," Lady Maro said. Her voice seemed calm while she said this, but Miroku caught her hands twitching slightly in their gloves.

Shippou's reaction was more easily interpretable. He ran over to her and clung to her legs. "No! You promised! I'm staying with you no matter what!"

Lady Maro knelt. "They're your guardians Shippou. They have final say," she said as she pulled him away to look at him. Shippou's eyes were watering, and he wiped them away fiercely. "No. Not again! Please!"

Inuyasha growled slightly from frustration. "Damn it, already, Shippou, leave off of it! We'll come up with something! Just stop blubbering!"

"Let's just sit down and eat," Sango said with a sigh of frustration. "We have some bread."

Inuyasha collapsed onto the ground cross-legged. "Keh."

Lady Maro squeezed Shippou's shoulder before letting go and getting her bag. Sango and Miroku sat down meanwhile, but before breakfast could start, everyone's attention was caught by two special fire cats.

Yukio, now that everything seemed to be settling down between the newcomers and his Kagome, was incredibly interested in Kirara, who had just leapt down and was about to pad over to Lady Maro. He bounded over to a dismayed Kirara and, after a moment of mutual observation, the two cats touched noises. That, to Kirara's horror, was when Yukio's adult behavior ended. His two tails wagged in a manner all to reminiscent of a dogs, and he gave her face a big lick, jumped to the other side, and tried to pounce of her tails. She hissed slightly as she flicked her tails out of the way, but Yukio ignored her warning and tried again. The next thing the group knew a furious game of cat and kitten was started, with Kirara hoping from Sango to Inuyasha to the grass and up a tree and Yukio following her as closely as possible. Sango and Inuyasha were less then enthusiastic about the entire thing, since the cats dug their claws in before launching off again. Miroku smiled slightly, though he tried to hide it behind his hand.

"Um, well, now that they're occupied, I guess we can eat," Lady Maro said. Miroku smiled, recognizing her diversion.

Sango and Lady Maro pooled resources, and soon a breakfast of toast and fruit was set up. Everyone got a bit to eat, before they realized something. It seemed to be an almost simultaneous thing as everyone paused and looked at Lady Maro. She visibly flinched. Shippou, who was sitting close to her, scooted a little closer.

"It's okay, they won't mind," he said. Lady Maro shook her head slightly, and slowly, reluctance in every movement, unwrapped her head covering. Sango's hand flew to cover her mouth, horror filling her face. Miroku shuddered, and Inuyasha's mouth flew open.

Lady Maro's face was filled with scars. The original face, whatever that might have been, had almost been completely hidden underneath the network. Someone had taken the time to slowly carve her face into a pattern, with lines that were about a half a centimeter wide. It looked as if a demon had cradled her face in his hands, dug his claws in, and then dragged his claws across her face from either side. The same demon had done the same on the forehead, starting at the top of her forehead and then dragging them down. The over all effect was like a macabre sunburst, with all of the lines converging at her lips, which were misshapen. The demon had gone another step further, to make the sunburst into a spider's web. There was no doubt in anyone's mind who had done this, and the knowledge that her entire body probably looked just like her face sent a shiver of horror over everyone who looked at it. Shippou, at least, had already seen it, but instead of horror, he just felt furious at Naraku. He wanted to train, become strong, and defeat the bastard.

"Great Buddha have mercy," Miroku said, "Did Naraku do that to you?"

Lady Maro looked away, unable to look at her friends' horror anymore, even if they didn't know who she was. "Yes. After the previous protector of the jewel died, I was given the task of gathering the jewel shards. Naraku did this and left me for dead, but I managed to survive."

"Damn that bastard," Inuyasha said.

Miroku, however, had suddenly stilled. Words that the Lady Maro, obviously an assumed name, said kept repeating in his mind. "Knew me before everything happened," "I was normal once," "He's safer with you anyways," "After the previous protector of the jewel died, I was given the task of gathering the jewel shards. Naraku did this and left me for dead, but I managed to survive." Shippou being happy for the first time in months. His reaction when she suggested that he was safer with them. Her eyes…Miroku was having a harder time controlling his horror as suspicions came to him, faster then he could imagine. He looked at her once more, fighting past his pain at his thoughts to look at the facial structure under the scars. Luckily, everyone had started to eat and so didn't notice his scrutiny. His stomach started to roll as he took in her features.

Miroku suddenly stood up, barely managing to control himself. "If everyone will excuse me for a moment," he said, voice trembling slightly. He hurried away, not stopping until he was out of Inuyasha's range to be able to sense him, and immediately started to throw up. He had thought he had managed to deal with his pain over Kagome's death, but after realizing who it was that had been scarred so badly, what had been done to her...his stomach protested again, and he went back to retching. When he had emptied everything from his stomach he leaned back against a tree, desperately trying to get his thoughts in order.

A voice came, and he winced, remembering how beautiful it had used to sound. He looked up into Maro's eyes, the only thing that could be seen since she had once again covered her face.

"Was it really so bad?" she asked, and Miroku shook himself. He took a deep breath, wishing he had something to get rid of the foul taste in his mouth and stood up, bracing himself for the conversation that would shortly follow.

"Lady Kagome, it is not your face that disturbs me, but the horror of knowing what had happened to my best friend and knowing that I wasn't there to stop it," Miroku said, his voice trembling slightly as he stared into her eyes.

Yes, I believe that's a good place to stop for today…

See you next chapter!


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